The Perfect Date
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Julia Crouch

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: I thought I’d found the one… But then I found him dead.

The last time I saw Harry, he was smiling at me over a candlelit table. It felt like I’d known him forever. I sipped my wine, and let myself hope for a second perfect date.

But this morning, out on a bright sunny walk, my rescue dog starts barking. I follow to see what he’s found. That’s when I see Harry’s body. His handsome face is cold and still. I back away, trembling.

It should be the worst thing that has ever happened to me. But it’s happened to me before.

The last two men I dated are dead.

I can’t tell the police I knew them both. I’d be their number one suspect.

But I need answers. Am I going mad, or is this my fault? And if I don’t find out who is doing this, will I be next?

My Thoughts: This was a captivating and compelling psychological thriller. This is the first time that I have read a book by Julia Crouch and it will not be my last. Crouch held my interest and weaved an unpredictable thrilling experience. At its most simplistic form, this was a whodunit. However, there were unpredictable twists and turns and I was questioning every character and their motive. This book was so much fun and I devoured in a matter of days (audiobook). Caz (Caroline) is a dog walker, takes care of her mother, and her last two dates were murdered. Her dog, Joe, has an excellant nose for finding dead bodies. Caz does not believe that the two incidents were connected. Since she is the connection for these two murders, will she be a suspect? Or were these men murdered to get to her?

The story is narrated by Caz, an unreliable narrator, in her POV. There are a lot of characters and it takes a bit to make all of the connections and understand the path of the characters. However, once it clicks, it clicks. Caz has been through a lot recently, including being detained as a suspect in Ash’s death. She has made some questionable decisions and her behavior is eccentric. The characters were fleshed out well with depth, they were mysterious, and creatively placed throughout the story. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, unpredictable, and really well written. The story starts out as a slow burn to build up the characters, lay the foundation, and set the tone. Then the plot is delivered in twisty layers, pulling the whodunit in different directions. Then an explosive secret is laid out and the story is wrapped up in an ending that I did not see coming. Very well written story. Personally, I think Joe (the dog) really steals the show.

I had the pleasure of having the digital and audiobook (ARC) of this story. The narrator was amazing in this audiobook. She had great voice distinction, with amazing voice pitch and really brought life to the characters. She really nailed the fear behind Caz. She really kept me invested in this story. This story was dark, compelling, captivating, twisty, and really kept me guessing. I had every character nailed as a suspect at one time or another. Probably one of the most unpredictable books that I have read this year. If you love dogs, you will love this story! I highly recommend that you go pick this up today.

The Perfect Date by Julia Crouch Narrated by Sarah Durham was a brilliant audiobook that was full of twists and turns throughout which is a brilliant twisted whodunnit, that was full of suspense, drama, that will have you guessing till the very end which was fast paced which nice short chapters.

The narrator Sarah was brilliant for this book and kept it alive.

I highly recommend this book I loved it!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Easy read, lots of people to suspect, although I imagine most people will be able to spot the 'baddy'. However, would still reccommend this as an enjoyable way to escape for a bit.

Definitely a thriller for dog lovers! This book had a great setup, and I was intrigued for about the first quarter. The middle seemed to kind of drag a bit and became a little monotonous, but it was still a fun read. The ending was surprising, and was happy with how it wrapped up.

This was not for me. I couldn’t get into it at all. The writing was very stiff and under-developed. No nuance or suspense. Lacks depth and visualization. I got 20% of the way in and had to stop.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

This was a nice read as a palette cleanser between more dense books - a crime thriller that I'm sure will please most readers of the genre.

The premise is pretty unique - Caz and her dog, Joe, manage to find the guy she's been dating dead whilst on a walk...twice. First it happens in London, then in Brighton. The mystery continues on from there, and you can't help but feel like Caz must have the worst luck in the world.

I'll be entirely honest in that this was a solid, middle of the road read for me. It didn't do anything fantastic, but it also wasn't a chore to read. I read it in less than a day, and the writing was good enough to keep my attention for long periods of time. The story itself was pretty intriguing, and Joe the dog was the best character...even if he did seem to be a little too human sometimes.

I also really liked Damian, and I was sad he wasn't included much. His character couldve been fleshed out a bit more and he deserved it.

Caz, frankly, was an idiot of gigantic proportions. I disliked her the whole way through and did some major eye rolling at her decisions and thought processes. Boggles the mind that it took her over half the book to finally suspect that maybe she was the connection between the murders...like, come on. Two men you met on the same app in different areas of England both get murdered after going on a date with you? Never mind rose coloured glasses, she'd had rose laser surgery.

On top of that, she had a really annoying attitude towards Marcy and Mark. There were at least times when she recognised it and told herself off, but the amount of times she'd think 'this should've belonged to me'. Girl, it's been like 9 years...go to therapy. And get some friends, please.

I'd love to say I didn't figure out who it was, but I figured it out relatively early on so it wasn't a huge surprise. Still, it was a relatively enjoyable read if I ignored some of Caz's idiotic decisions.

Giving this book 3 1/2 stars. Caz recently returned home to care for her ailing mother. She established herself as a popular professional dog walker. One morning while walking dog, her dog, Joe, comes across the body of a deceased man. It turns out to be Harry, a man she met on a dating app. This would be quite a disturbing thing to find the man you are dating dead, except this is the SECOND TIME this has happened to Caz! Once is a coincidence, but twice is a bit of a pattern.

Now, one would think that this was enough of a mystery for one novel, but wait! Her friend, who she is house sitting for, has gone missing! But again, Caz doesn’t seem non plussed or concerned, which was infuriating at time!

I did feel that there were too many side characters involved in the story. Additionally, the plot just DRAGGED for the first half of the book. I was hoping that with discovering a dead body in the first chapter meant that this was a fast paced book, but alas, I was wrong.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoture for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First I want to thank NetGalley & Bookouture for allowing me access to the ARC of The Perfect Date.

WOW!!! This psychological thriller kept me on my toes until the very end. It kept me guessing from throughout the book and was a very easy page turner. I couldn’t put this book down!

People being killed, people vanishing and weird things happening from start to finish have you wondering who did it. When I finally got to the end my jaw was on the floor. Of course you suspect it’s this person or that one when reading the book, but to find out exactly who it is and their motive behind it was just crazy.

The Perfect Date by Julia Crouch is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. The story revolves around Caz, a woman who has faced an unimaginable and horrifying situation - finding the lifeless body of a man she was dating, not once but twice. This nightmarish experience echoes a traumatic incident from her past when she discovered another man, she was involved with had met a similar fate.

The novel delves into Caz's complicated life, unraveling a web of secrets and complex relationships. Her past entanglements and her present connections create a suspenseful backdrop that keeps the reader guessing throughout the story.
Crouch's writing style is nothing short of excellent, as she skillfully crafts a narrative that is both compelling and chilling. The way she weaves together the events in Caz's life, interconnecting her past and present, is masterful. The reader is drawn into Caz's world, experiencing her fear, paranoia, and desperation as she confronts the gruesome discoveries.
One of the standout elements of The Perfect Date is the unpredictability of the plot. The novel keeps you guessing about the identity of the murderer and their motives, creating a sense of unease and tension that lingers throughout the book. The psychological aspects of the thriller are well-executed, and the character development is impressive.
Crouch expertly explores the theme of guilt and the weight of one's past actions. As Caz grapples with the idea that she might be connected to these horrific deaths, the novel delves into the complexity of her character and the moral dilemmas she faces.

Overall, The Perfect Date is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. Julia Crouch's storytelling prowess and her ability to create a genuinely suspenseful atmosphere make this novel an enthralling and thrilling read. If you're looking for a book that will keep you glued to its pages, this is undoubtedly one to consider. It's a tale of intrigue, secrets, and the haunting question of whether the past can truly be escaped.

thoroughly enjoyed this little thriller I was lucky enough to read an ARC of through #NetGalley.

Had my mind constantly racing trying to figure out who the killer was! So many good twists in this book!

In a crowded market, Julia Crouch's work stands out for its plotting and genuine care for its characters. There's no such thing as a perfect date, but this is an excellent read

I thoroughly enjoyed this little thriller I was lucky enough to read an ARC of through #NetGalley.

Had my mind constantly racing trying to figure out who the killer was! So many good twists in this book!

Wow. I didn’t want to put this down, I found it captivating as I was eager to find out who the murderer was. Granted, I managed to figure out who it was about halfway through the book, but I still wasn’t 100% until the big reveal. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing.
While I found the main character, Caz, to be quite frustrating at times, and a little ignorant to other people’s struggles, a lot of the side characters - and the dogs - made up for her shortcomings.
All in all, a great read that kept me captivated.

I love this author and have thoroughly enjoyed all of her books. And this one was just absolutely wonderful. Brilliant from start to finish. Loved it.

Why this book is called the perfect date and why this is the tagline made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Like the first chapter mentions the main characters "perfect" man who she went on one or two dates with who ends up dead. I kept reading cause I was interested to know who killed her so called perfect man but it kinda got boring because the story dragged on with nothing new being added to it. The person who ends up being the killer had their back story was revealed at the end so there isn't really the opportunity for the reader to guess who it was and I like to guess so for me it really wasn't that fun. I think the book premise had potential but the execution let it down because the title and tagline have nothing to do with the story and I feel bamboozled.

I loved the concept of the book but I felt it was too much build up which made it difficult for me to want to carry on reading. The ending was quite predictable for me and often books in this genre leave me really shocked.
Would have preferred to learn more about some of the more likeable characters such as Damien.

A little predictable in places and I was waiting for the main character to catch on! An enjoyable read.

I was excited to read this book, the title and the description of the book made it seem like it was going to be interesting. I quickly found that it was a slow read. I really want to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it.

Thank you NetGalley, Julia and bookouture for the ARC!

Initially I thought this book was gonna be a wash but I GOT SO INTO IT. So many twists and turns and I couldn’t stop until I’d finished. The ending was slightly anticlimactic as I could tell where it was going but I still loved it

I loved this book! It was a nail bitter the entire read! I wanted to finish this at once and not wait! Thriller. Suspense. Exciting!